Swedish artists of the young and middle generation, who have already had some success in their country and abroad, have been invited to the exhibition “New art from Sweden”. They live in a couple of cities: Stockholm, Göteborg, Falkenberg (southern Sweden) and in Umea (northern Sweden).
They are all somehow connected with the city of Umea, one of the most important cultural centres. The New art from Sweden exhibition will present the audience with eye-pleasing projects which, according to H. Matisse, are “a comfortable armchair for our bodies”. At first sight Swedish art gives an impression of pleasure, just like the remarkable Swedish design, where the beauty and modernity of form go hand in hand with perfect functionality. One of the characteristics of the Swedish society is daily mutual politeness and smile. People are nice to each other, it is an obligatory social norm. However, the society feels the growing sense of frustration, caused by the changing economic situation, discrepancy between the traditional notion of a welfare state and a less optimistic reality. The need of accommodating to the social canons and the feeling of solitude are the reason of the big boom for psychotherapists, noticeable for the last couple of years in Scandinavia. Relaxation techniques, massages and visits to a psychologist have become next to healthy sauna the needs of our northern neighbours. The “New art from Sweden” exhibition presents the artworks made with the use of various media: painting, photography, videos, artistic installations and audio objects, interactive performance. They show both the pleasant aspects of Scandinavia and its problems. Participants of the exhibition: Gerd Aurell, Peter Bryngelsson, Christina Bolling, Isabel Cantzler, Joakim Danell, Carl Dieker, Anneli Furmark, Karin Frennesson Westblad, Jonas Holmberg, Anita Malmqvist, Soi Moren, Mattias Olofsson, Camila Rosberg, Paula von Seth, Helena Wikstróm

Curator: Eulalia Domanowska
Curator in the BWA Gallery, Bydgoszcz: Beata Kaźmierczak
Exhibition: 2005.09.01 – 2005.10.01